Automated Beer Dispensing (Fitting advise needed)

[CliffRT]

Hi guys, I'm fairly new to it all. I mean I love beer, but I'm not very experienced or technical with things like these.

I'm working on a project that would automate beer dispensing once I place my cup on these buttons.
So I've got a flow sensor to detect the amount of flow, some 3/8" beer lines, attached to a 12V DC solenoid valve.

Here's the problem. I'm not at all experienced with piping. Just a lad with some experiences with Arduino.
Before I start spending hundreds on solenoid valves and flow sensors that don't fit in with the beer lines, I would like to ask the advise of experts around here about that.
Solenoid valves and flow sensors are threaded, these 3/8" beer lines aren't.
I've been looking at hose fittings with nipples for 3/8" but they're usually with a smaller diameter thread like 1/4" or 3/18".

Maybe I've been searching in the wrong places, or maybe my idea isn't optimal and is a detour from what could be a much simpler solution.

I would love to hear some advise from you guys about this.

Regards,
Cliff

 

[day_trippr]

You want to keep the tubing inside diameter at 3/16" or smaller, otherwise you'll have endless problems with pours or need a lot of tubing to tame them (a lot: a 1/4" ID line would require ~47 feet of tubing!) Even if you use conventional solid PVC 3/16" ID beer line like the vast majority of home dispensing systems you'd want to go with 10-12 feet total tubing length.

But there are even better options - like 4mm ID barrier tubing - that will cut the necessary beer line length down to ~5-6' total.

I have six flow meters in my keezer (Swissflow SF800's) and last November replumbed everything using EVAbarrier tubing with 4mm ID/8mm OD. Almost all of the tubing ends at push-to-connect fittings, mostly from John Guest and DMfit, and a few Duotights.

If you use this tubing (highly recommended) then it's just a matter of finding the right fittings for your meters and solenoid. My meters used 3/8" BSP to 8mm OD, the beer shanks use 5/8" BSP to 8mm OD, and the keg connectors are 1/4" FFL to 8mm OD. I don't run solenoids so can't help there.

If you are in the USA I recommend going to freshwatersystems.com and using their fitment tool to identify make and models for the fittings you need - even if you don't buy them there. They carry all but Duotight at last look.

If you want to see the effects of tubing ID on the length needed for a good pour, check out the only beer line length calculator worth using.

Finally, locate your meter(s) and solenoid(s) as close to the keg(s) as possible for the best pour results...

Cheers!

 

[CliffRT]

You want to keep the tubing inside diameter at 3/16" or smaller, otherwise you'll have endless problems with pours or need a lot of tubing to tame them (a lot: a 1/4" ID line would require ~47 feet of tubing!) Even if you use conventional solid PVC 3/16" ID beer line like the vast majority of home dispensing systems you'd want to go with 10-12 feet total tubing length.

If you use this tubing (highly recommended) then it's just a matter of finding the right fittings for your meters and solenoid. My meters used 3/8" BSP to 8mm OD, the beer shanks use 5/8" BSP to 8mm OD, and the keg connectors are 1/4" FFL to 8mm OD. I don't run solenoids so can't help there.

If you want to see the effects of tubing ID on the length needed for a good pour, check out the only beer line length calculator worth using.

Hey, day_trippr!

Thank you so much for the lengthy explanations. There's only so much I could find online from articles.
Seems I will take the advice of using 3/16" beer lines.

Would it be a huge problem if my solenoid valves, flow meters and shanks have different diameters from the lines ?
I have a solenoid valve laying around with G1/2 OD, and I'm thinking of connecting it to a G1/2 flow meter and get a fitting that would connect the 3/16" lines together.
My concern is that the change in diameter might affect the flow pressure and cause the beer to be foamy.

Regards,
Cliff.

 

[day_trippr]

Anything one sticks in a beer line is going to introduce turbulence. With a flow meter and solenoid I would strive to avoid using different ID tubing to at least minimize the number of potential contributors to pour quality issues...

Cheers!

 

[CliffRT]

You want to keep the tubing inside diameter at 3/16" or smaller, otherwise you'll have endless problems with pours or need a lot of tubing to tame them (a lot: a 1/4" ID line would require ~47 feet of tubing!) Even if you use conventional solid PVC 3/16" ID beer line like the vast majority of home dispensing systems you'd want to go with 10-12 feet total tubing length.

Hey day_trippr,

I've come across what could be an interesting find to reduce the length I would need for my 3/8" flow.
Flow Control Valve
Have you come across something like this? I might get one if no one has tried it out. Just to see what's the catch with these things.

Regards,
Cliff

 

[day_trippr]

There are quite a few in-line FC valves out there but I had not seen that type of FC valve before. I like that it's a PTC fitting.
I have no experience with such things; I've always relied on the beer line resistance to take care of "flow control"...

Cheers!

 

[BrunDog]

Definitely cool. I would be cautious about expecting any "point" device to reduce flow without creating foam. The rapid pressure drop is what causes foaming. You either need to reduce your feed pressure (which will mean CO2 will start coming out of solution - not ideal), or try to induce as gradual a pressure drop as possible - that is why long lengths of narrow tubing work best.